Academic counselors in Student Academic Services (SAS) will take drop-in appointments for students during the week of registration in Demaray Hall. These brief appointments are for students with questions regarding Winter Quarter registration. Academic counselors cannot remove faculty advisor holds, so students must meet with their faculty advisor first. Drop-in appointments will be available during the following hours: Monday, November 14, 12-4 p.m.; Tuesday, November 15, 12-4 p.m.; Wednesday, November 16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday, November 17, 12-4 p.m.; Friday, November 18, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

From the Casey Conference Center: “Plan your next nonprofit or staff retreat at Camp Casey. If you are a part of a church or community organization, rates are as low as $19 per person, per night during the winter. Rates for your department retreat are $15 per person, per night! Come storm watch and be warm in the historical lodgings. If you are on Whidbey and would like a tour for your event, just give us a call, or set up a visit in advance. Contact us at campcasey@spu.edu or 866-661-6604."

Faculty and staff who advise students can now encourage students to visit and use SPU's new retention site, On Track: Degree Planner. This site details the steps students must take each year to stay on course to graduate on time. You're encouraged to reference the site when advising students, using the list of tasks for their academic year as a guide for their progress. More

Faculty and staff are invited to the next Theatre Artists Forum on Friday, November 18, immediately following the 7:30 p.m. performance of “12 Angry Women." The next forum, “Law, Rhetoric, and ‘12 Angry Women,'" is a discussion of the issues raised by Sherman Sergel's play, based on Reginald Rose's teleplay. The guests will be:

Clark Silliman, discussing the legal realities of the play. Silliman brings a broad legal background to his teaching at Edmonds Community College where he is in his 21st year as an instructor in the paralegal program. He has been in private practice in the Puget Sound area since 1968, trying a broad range of civil and criminal cases in state and federal courts.

Bill Purcell, discussing the rhetorical structure of the play. Purcell is
chair of the SPU Communication and Journalism department, where he teaches
courses in communication theory, rhetorical theory, argumentation, and public
speaking. He is the author of two books, Ars poetriae: Rhetoeical and Grammatical Invention at the Margin of Literacy (1996); and The Rhetorical Short Story: Best American Short Stories on War and the Military, 1915-2006 (2009).

The SPU's Theatre Artists Series features wide-ranging talks with guest artists about their craft and their work. The series offers a glimpse into the creative process of all aspects of theatre, from actors to designers to marketing and fundraising professionals. For more information or if you have questions, contact Theatre Chair Don Yanik at 206-281-2145 or zeke@spu.edu.

The Seattle Pacific University Theatre Department presents “Twelve Angry Women," November 17-19, 7:30 p.m. in the E.E. Bach Theatre inside McKinley Hall, with an additional matinee on Saturday, November 19, at 2 p.m. In a jury room, 12 jurors deliberate the fate of a young man accused in his father's murder. It takes only moments for reasonable doubt to seep into the minds of the jurors. As they argue and struggle toward consensus, their personalities and perspectives clash. What will the verdict be, and is it “the truth"? Tickets are $12 general admission and $10 for students/seniors. The theater is wheelchair accessible. To purchase tickets, call 206-281-2959 or visit the McKinley Box Office website. More

SPU's music faculty will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 18, in First Free Methodist Church. The concert features adjunct music faculty member and soprano Catherine Haight. The concert includes songs by Purcell, Brahms, Poulenc, and Ravel's masterpiece “Chansons Madécasses, as well as piano, cello, and flute performances. Admission is free and wheelchair accessible. For more information, contact 206-281-2925.

SPU's school counseling honor society chapter, Sigma Phi Upsilon, will host a screening of the documentary Finding Kind on Friday, November 18, at 7 p.m. in Demaray Hall 150. In this documentary, two young women from Orange County take a road trip across the country to bring awareness of “the severity of the negative and lasting effects resulting from girl-against-girl bullying." A reviewer writes, “The thing that sets Finding Kind apart from most other films is its ability to evoke self-reflection, a very powerful attribute for a film to have. Throughout the entirety of the film, I found myself reflecting on all the times I was mean toward another girl and hoping to be able to redeem myself for those horrible actions. I believe this was (Director) Parsekian's exact intention when filming the documentary, so it was inspiring to be able to experience a film fulfilling its purpose." The documentary's website recommends this film for ages 11 and up. Sigma Phi Upsilon is a chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, an international honor society that values academic and professional excellence in counseling. Its mission is to promote scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership, advocacy, and excellence in counseling. Part of the proceeds will support the Sigma Phi Upsilon chapter projects. Tickets can be bought online. More

Don't miss out on SPU's 12th annual Sacred Sounds of Christmas, featuring SPU's acclaimed Concert Choir and Wind Symphony, along with the SPU Orchestra, Men's and Women's Choirs, and Chamber Singers, performing sacred and traditional Christmas music from around the world. Again we are offering two performances: Monday, November 28, and Tuesday, November 29, at 7:30 p.m. in magnificent Benaroya Hall. Tickets are $17 and $20 and can be purchased online at benaroyahall.org or at the Benaroya Hall Box Office. For more information, visit the website. More

Rev. Eugene Peterson, a 1954 alumnus of SPU and author of Gold Medallion Book Award winner The Message, describes the importance of Scripture in spiritual formation in his lecture “St. Mark: The Basic Text for Christian Spirituality." October 20, 2011. More

“Roscoe (orange male) and Nox (brown/tiger female) came to live with us this
past June. They are 2 years old, playful, and best buddies. Pastimes include
napping, snuggling, playing – particularly in any box or bag that is
available – and more napping. They are sweet, full of energy, and constantly
keep my husband and I laughing with their playful schemes!" Jennifer Anderson, distance learning coordinator, Center for Professional Education. Select the link for more photos of Roscoe and Nox. More

The Fac/Staff Bulletin is published every Monday during the academic year. If you have information or event news, send it as soon as possible to Fac/Staff Bulletin editor Tracy Norlen at fsb-editor@spu.edu, or submit an item directly from the Bulletin. The next deadline is Thursday, November 17. The next Bulletin will be published Monday, November 21.

Lucille Kelley, dean of the School of Health Sciences (SHS), will retire Spring 2012. Lucille has invested 27 years at Seattle Pacific as faculty and dean. SHS has grown in both size and stature under her leadership. She has not only been a remarkable leader for the SHS, but she has also been a remarkable academic leader for the University. She has been the senior dean on the Deans' Cabinet, leading with wisdom, optimism, and grace. She is a dear friend and has left a tremendously positive mark on Seattle Pacific University. We will miss her!

Professor of European History Alberto Ferreiro was guest speaker at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Bothell in the “Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults" class. The topic was, “Images of God." A brief overview was given about outbreaks of iconoclasm in the history of the church. A discussion of how participants imagine God, how that has changed since their childhood, and how the Scriptures or Christian images have shaped their mental images of God followed his talk.

An article written by Professor of Finance Dan Hess and Assistant Vice President for University Advancement Gordon Nygard was published in the Journal of Educational Planning and Administration, Volume 25, Number 2, April 2011. The article is titled, “University Endowment Investment Returns: The Impact of Institutional Size."

Two articles related to the history and future of the book by University Librarian Michael Paulus have recently been published. The first, “Archibald Alexander and the Use of Books: Theological Education and Print Culture in the Early Republic," appears in latest issue of the Journal of the Early Republic. This paper highlights formative connections between theological seminaries and print culture during the first half of the 19th century by focusing on the life and literary work of Archibald Alexander, the founding professor of Princeton Theological Seminary and a prominent theological author. The second article, “Reconceptualizing Academic Libraries and Archives in the Digital Age," appears in the latest issue of portal: Libraries and the Academy. It considers the concept of “the archive" in the digital age and introduces a model, the Archival Cycle, to explore the past, present, and future situation of libraries and archives within the lifecycle of information.

Karen Snedker, assistant professor of sociology, recently published an article with her collaborator, Amy Bailey of Utah State University. The paper, “Practicing What They Preach? Lynching and Religion in the American South 1890–1929," appears in the November issue of the American Journal of Sociology. The article explores whether a county's religious composition impacted its rate of lynching, net of demographic, and economic controls. The authors find counties with greater religious diversity experienced more lynching, and counties in which a larger share of the black population worshipped in churches controlled by blacks also experienced higher levels of racial violence. Finally, the authors found a lower incidence of lynching in counties where a larger share of church members belonged to denominations with racially mixed denominations.

Associate Professor and Chair of Psychology Margaret Brown presented a paper titled “Changing Students' Views on Social Power Through Service Learning" at the International Association for Research on Service Learning and Civic Engagement annual conference in Chicago, Illinois, on November 3. Brown was also appointed to the association's Communications and Membership Outreach Committee, which promotes community engagement as an active learning strategy around the globe.

Professor of English Tom Trzyna presented a paper titled "Le Clézio's Aphasic Heros" at the Pacific Modern and Ancient Languages Association meeting at Scripps College on November 5. The paper was drawn from his forthcoming book Le Clézio's Spiritual Quest, which explores this Nobel Prize winning novelist's post-modern and post-Christian synthesis of pre-Socratic philosophy, Sufism, and Meso-American religion.

Professor of Educational Leadership Thomas Alsbury recently gave two presentations to the 2011 leadership council for the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) in Olympia, Washington. The presentations were to the 2011 school board leadership class. Each year, approximately 10 school board members are selected to engage in extensive training through WSSDA. Thomas gave presentations on “Gender and Ethnicity Trends on School Boards and Their Social Justice Implications" and “School District Consolidation: The Unintended Consequences." Also, Thomas recently co-authored an article with Professor Lars Bjork from the University of Kentucky. The article titled “International Superintendents Research Network: A Project of the University Council for Education Administration (UCEA) Center for Research on the Superintendency & District Governance" was published in the UCEA Review, 52(2), 20.

The Office of Human Resources would like the SPU community to join us in welcoming Patty Encinas, the new customer service representative at the Casey Conference Center, and Tom Lane, the new operations coordinator in the Center for Integrity in Business.